The real Easter Island, is best know for the giant stone monoliths, known as Moai, that surround the island.. Easter Island has long been the subject of curiosity and speculation. How and why did its inhabitants carve and transport these massive statues. "Easter Island", the game, provides it's own interpretation of how and why it all came to be, in a battle to destroy your opponent's statues.

THE STORY:

This game speculates that the statues were in fact beam weapons, created by two powerful wizards and that these wizards used the statues in a giant game, with the island itself as the board.

THE GOAL:

To destroy your opponent's statues while protecting your own..

COMPONENTS:

1) Quad Folding Game Board, with a grid of 25 points at it's center and 20 Sun Token circles that surround the entire grid. Don't think it's an actual map of Easter Island but it certainly serves the purpose.

14) Statues - 7 colored black and 7 colored grey. Note that these are mini little replicas of the actual statues found on Easter Island and are quite attractive and really add to the theme of the game.

16) Sun Tokens - Each player gets 8 Sun Tokens in their color and each has a picture of the sun on the other side. These are small round cardboard pieces.

SET-UP:

Each player chooses a color and takes all the statues and tokens of that color. Players then alternate placing a statue on one of the intersecting points of the center grid, until each players have four statues on the board.

THE RULES:

On the starting players very first turn, they choose 1 of five possible actions. On all other turns, each player can then choose any 2 of the same five actions, including repeating the same action twice.

THE ACTIONS:

1) Place another statue on the board.
2) Place a Sun Token on any empty sun token spot that surrounds the board. Once placed, this token may never be moved.
3) Rotate 1 Statue in place, either 90 or 180 degrees.
4) Move 1 Statue in a straight line any number of intersections, provided you don't jump over any other statues.
5) Direct a ray from one of your Sun Token by turning it over with the Sun side up. Once used, this Sun Token may not be used again.

There are only 2 restrictions of the use of the Sun Tokens.

1) A sun ray cannot be directed if it will involve contact with the active player's statue put in play during the same turn.

2) A sun ray cannot be directed from a Sun Token that was put into play during the same turn.

EFFECTS OF THE SUN RAY:

Like a pinball machine, sun rays once activated (by turning them sun side up) shoot a an invisible ray of light in a straight line that can bounce around the board. The statues themselves serve as targets or bumpers, that send the light in different directions. There are a total of four sides where a Statue can be hit . From the front, (face side), back, or either one of the two sides of it's face. Depending upon where the ray of light hits the statue, the statue will either be destroyed (yours or your opponent's) or it will send the light off in a different direction. Any statue hit in the front or back is automatically destroyed and removed from the game. When it's hit from either side, the ray of light is sent off once again at a 90 degree angle.

Statues are also destroyed under the following 2 circumstances.

1) The Statue is the only one or the last one hit by the sun ray.
2) The same Statue reflects the same race twice, thus being hit on both of it's sides.

END OF GAME:

The game ends when one player has only 1 Statue remaining on the board. Even if the player has more Statues that can still be brought into play, the same is still over. The player with 2 or more Statues still on the board wins. It's noted in the rules that in very rare cases, no more rays can be sent, in which case the player with the most Statues on the board wins. If both players have the same amount of Statues left, than the last player to have placed a Statue on the board wins.

THOUGHTS ON THE GAME:

Make no mistake about it, this is a game that involves pure skill. In spite of the Easter Island board and pretty pieces, this is an abstract strategy game all the way. Will you enjoy it? That depends. If you enjoy games that require looking ahead quite a bit, or if your the type of player that enjoys the battle of maneuvering of pieces, as in chess, then this will be what you've been waiting for. It's not chess, but I think the comparison is well taken. It's all definitely unique, interesting and fun.

Arthur Reilly